Chioma Umeala pushes for more diversity in animé

The Women King star Chioma Umeala is driven by closing the gap in terms of representation for black women in the world of animé.

The 27-year-old actor is known for her performance in Netflix’s popular live-action adaptation of the manga series, One Piece, slipping into character as feisty Nojiko. 

This weekend she will take to the main stage at Comic Con Africa in Cape Town, joining a panel discussion that delves deeper into the process and experience of making the series. 

“I’m seizing this opportunity as a way to bring in more diversity. Yes, it’s a nerd convention but I believe the narrative has changed where we think a ‘nerd’ is a white man with glasses. Some of us don’t look like that but we like animé, hence it’s important to show our faces in such a medium,” she said.

“Black people are commonly known to be seen last on the screen and with us showing our interest in such a medium, we stand a better chance at dominating these spaces.” 

Umeala got a life-changing experience acting alongside Oscar winner Viola Davis and Mzansi's very own Thuso Mbedu in The Woman King in 2022.

“I’ve always been a fan of storytelling since I was quite young. I love stories being told in any medium, be it podcasts, film, television or theatre. Animé is just that in another medium,” she said.

“Often people think that animé is a genre or division but it can be split into many things. There are different ranges, from comedy to drama or horror. 

“The reason why we tend to resonate with cartoons more is that it allows us to explore worlds beyond our imagination. It allows us to take storytelling to another dimension.”

Umeala recalled growing up on the comic series Supa Strikas and being a die-hard fan of Dragon Ball Z. 

“My nickname is Gigi, who is Goku’s wife; having such a childhood where you see animé exist in your world meant quite a lot to me as a child hence I’d love that for the younger generation, specifically young black girls,” she said. 

The half-Nigerian and half-South African performer, who got her breakout role in daily drama Isono, takes pride in her multi-cultural identity and heritage.

“From my generation, even younger, there’s no fighting the reality that we are a mixed nationality. We also have people from many different African countries living here and are spread across the world. I’ve always known that I am a product of two people from two different countries who created me,” she said. 

“I am one of many variations who are like me. I know so many half-Nigerian and -Xhosa or half-Nigerian and -Pedi but we are culturally South African. So, instead of fighting that reality, I want to be a representation of how enriching it is to come from diversity within our diaspora.”

Umeala encouraged Africans to embrace their uniqueness through storytelling, which she described as a superpower. 

“As Africans, we don’t all speak in the same accent or even eat the same food. So, with us showcasing who we are from our different cultures, we are giving the world a culturally enriching experience and not just one dimension of all Africans,” she said. 

“We’re a big continent and our stories are yet to be told through the vast mediums at our disposal. We need to dominate these forms of storytelling.”